IKEA is definitely getting a foothold in the fashion industry this year, from Balenciaga’s take on their iconic 99 cent FRAKTA tote bag, spawning a whole range of IKEA-inspired products (which includes sneakers and a thong), to launching a collection created by designers with a fashion background. Now, they are collaborating with one of the fashion world’s favourite designers – Virgil Abloh, creative director of Off-White.
Announcing the partnership at Democratic Design Days in Sweden, an annual event where IKEA shares their upcoming projects for the future, the multi-talented Virgil Abloh has already started working on the project, even bringing along his version of the FRAKTA bag to the conference. Speaking with IKEA’s head of design Marcus Engman, the project aims to provide solutions to two main problems: accessibility to design that encompasses both functionality and design as well as breaking the barrier between good design and affordability. Marcus Engman also added that they would like to raise the knowledge amongst young people about how to make their very first home a good home.
“We’re looking at that first phase of adult life, when you start making purchases for your space. Largely people grow up in their parents’ environment. They’ve never had to consider furniture. Then when they’re off on their own and have their own aesthetic, what are their first purchases? I’m interested in thinking about how those purchases are informed”, Virgil says.
The project will look into how the first homes of millennials can be created at a low cost and you can expect more than just a chair with experimental pieces coming from Virgil, who is also an architecture graduate.
“IKEA provides a landscape – fertile soil for new ideas and concepts. My duty then, is to provide something provocative. Given how tremendous this opportunity is, I’m not content to make another chair.”
Details on the collection have not yet been revealed, but it’s slated to launch in 2019 and we’re just praying the collection reaches Singapore shores too. Meanwhile, watch the live-streamed show below and check out other exciting collaborations including one which explores compact living in spacecrafts!
